


Avenger & Arachnid

by LJ_Pynn



Category: Captain Marvel (2019), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Not Underage, Older Woman/Younger Man, Outer Space, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Post-Endgame, Sci-Fi, Superheroes, he's legal y'all
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-09
Updated: 2019-05-26
Packaged: 2020-02-28 22:46:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18765832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LJ_Pynn/pseuds/LJ_Pynn
Summary: A year after the events of ‘Endgame’, Carol Danvers joins Brunn, Korg and Miek on a mission to rescue Asgardian refugees spread among the stars after Thanos’ attacks. Wishing to take on another space adventure (and not die), Peter secretly (accidentally) tags along. Once discovered, Carol is pissed and tries to get him to go home. With unfortunate deadlines and a ton of convincing, she accepts his presence. Under condition, she decides to train him for combat against whatever they may find out in the huge galaxy.





	1. Chapter 1

The Summer light shined quite beautifully over New Asgard. The rising sun gave a golden hue over the bustling settlement. It didn’t quite match the majesty of the kingdom’s original setting among the stars, but it had grown well on Earth. Carol wondered if they’d ever grow back to what they were. She’d only seen the original once in person. She hated to have doubts, but flying above the cliff-edge city, there was at least a spark of hope with what they’d done in just a short period of time.   
  
In the year since the galactic salvation that saw the reintegration of trillions of peoples back into their societies, many civilizations had begun to flourish again. Most of Earth’s interpersonal conflict was put aside to rebuild. That was partially a result of their technology keeping them restricted to the planet for the most part. Asgard wasn’t so lucky. They’d managed to get so far here, but so many of their people were still stranded across the galaxy. Every few months a refugee ship carrying a family or two would come in, but the Queen knew there were many more who needed help to find their way home.   
  
The queen was personally taking leave with some of her trusted associates and requested the “ _great Captain Marvel”_ aboard her ship. With so few of their people able to run galaxy-wide search and rescue, Carol agreed to commit what she could to the effort.   
  
As she descended toward the surface, she started to make out the shape of the Asgardian light carrier they’d be crewing on the outskirts of town. The long and wide diamond shaped vessel was adorned with two bird-like wings on either side. She could tell it was an old ship from the rusted gold colouring. Getting even closer, she saw the cargo bay doors at the back opened and a group of people loading supplies. Coordinating them was the woman who had invited her.   
  
Upon final approach, she landed with her fist to the ground behind the Queen.   
  
“Your majesty,” she greeted as she stood to her feet.   
  
The former Valkyrie turned and with a regal-looking smile. She reached her hand forward.   
  
“Captain,” she said and accepted her welcoming.   
  
The women stood in hand-in-hand for a moment before one finally broke the formality.   
  
“Carol.” The Valkyrie smiled wide and extending her other arm.

  
“Brunn,” she said smiling back. The two drew each other into a friendly hug. After a cheerful greeting, they quickly got to business.   
  
“So, I checked out the first jump point. It should be a clear shot for at least the next rotation,” Carol said.  
  
“Good. I was almost worried we’d be wasting our fuel just getting there.” Brunnhilde gestured to the ship. “We’ve traded off a lot of what we had with Wakanda recently.”  
  
Carol raised a brow. “Only _you_ would be giving resources away after all you guys have been through.”  
  
Brunn took a serious face for a moment and nodded. “Asgard is a noble people. We do what we can. We’re not the only ones who have suffered over the past few years. It’s in our nature to help those in need, whatever it takes.”   
  
Carol raised her hand to Brunn’s shoulder. “You’re a good people,” she smiled, “And _you’re_ a good queen.”  
  
Brunn perked up and leaned in, and pointed to the cargo bay. “Plus, if _‘whatever it takes’_ involves an arse-load of vibranium in trades that will more than pay for fuel on the journey later on, then so be it,” she spoke quietly.   
  
Looking over Brunn’s shoulder, she took note of the containers being loaded on. Then she took note of _who_ was loading them on.   
  
“What’s with the kids?” Carol asked, pointing to the human late-teens pushing around precious metals onto an alien ship that was older than all of them combined.  
  
Brunn turned around and with a proud smile, began to explain.   
  
“Why, some of your people’s most brilliant minds volunteered to spend their summer here and help mine.”  
  
“Most brilliant minds?” Carol asked more amused than confused. “They don’t even look twenty.”  
  
“Ah, but you see,” Brunn chuckled, “I’ve been told they have all just graduated from their _highest_ schooling.” She looked at Carol with proud eyes. Carol nodded along entertainingly.   
  
“Now, did they say _‘highest schooling’_ or did they say _‘high school’?”_   
  
Before Brunnhilde could respond, a voice from inside the ship began to speak up.   
  
“Oh, I know the sound of that photon-powered blonde superhero landing anywhere!”   
  
A familiar Kronan began to thump down the ramp and peek outside before spotting her.

“Hey, Korg!” Carol called out. Korg waved before looking back into the ship. He seemed to be chatting with somebody inside. A moment later, he began toward her with one of the nineteen-year-old labourers in tow. The young man slicked back his dark black hair and straighten the dark leather jacket he wore.   
  
“Hey there, Carol! I’d like to introduce you to my friend here; Flash Thompson.”   
  
She stepped forward, reaching her hand out to greet the boy. He took a second to reciprocate, his grip a bit shaky.   
  
“Uh, hi…” He began to say, clearly trying desperately to maintain polite eye contact, “It’s an honour to meet you… uh…  Miss Marvel.”   
  
Carol nodded and smiled at the nervous kid, hoping to calm him. That seemed to help. Quickly clearing his throat and standing straight -- albeit still a couple of inches shorter than her -- Flash spoke more confidently.   
  
“I just wanted to say I really appreciate and respect you and what you do. I mean, you pretty much saved my life. All our lives, actually, I guess.” He indicated over to his colleagues who were now all inside the cargo hold. Realizing he was still holding her hand, he quickly let go and dropped it to his side.   
  
“All in a day’s work,” Carol said confidently.   
  
“Yeah. Hey, if you ever need help with anything, I’m your guy. Like, I can do whatever you need. I got a _B+_ in _Intro to Accounting_ so if you ever need… like…” he began to trail off.   
  
“Looks like you’re getting a workout for us already,” Carol pointed toward the loading area. He nodded.   
  
“Or even if you just need someone to talk to, I’m down for that. You know, if you ever just wanna hang out or anything. I mean, there’s a tavern, like two blocks from here if you wanna…”   
  
In the second that Flash turned to face town, Carol looked at Brunn with wide eyes. Brunn just shook her head with an amused smile. She’d be flattered if this was still 1996, but if that were the case, he probably wasn’t even born yet.   
  
“So… yeah.” Flash finally turned back around.   
  
“Well, you know how it is,” Carol explained casually to the young not-Romeo. “Flying around and saving everyone takes up all the free time and what not. Good to meet you, though, Flash.” She reached out to shake his hand and hopefully let him on his way. He took it, seeming to get the message.   
  
“You know, Flash here is your biggest fan.” Korg patted him on the shoulder. Carol smiled at that.   
  
“Well, I mean…” Flash mumbled while looking at his feet.   
  
“Yeah, he’s always always up all night drawing real neat pictures of you.”   
  
Flash shot Korg a desperate look.   
  
“Always the two of you teamed up,” Korg continued, “and you runnin’ around with the crazy big bosoms he adds on.”   
  
Flash’s mouth fell open for a second. Brunn audibly chuckled and covered her mouth. Carol couldn’t help the look of gaiety derision that came on her face. Flash took a second before looking up at Carol again.   
  
“Yeah… I’m gonna… _What?!_ ” He shouted and turned his head, pretending someone called for him. “Sounds like they need help,” he managed to get out before bolting away back toward the loading area.   
  
“Well…” Brunn spoke up after a moment of awkward silence. “Least you got a fan, huh?”   
  
Carol gave her a human-strength punch on the shoulder. The Valkyrie laughed it off.   
  
“Speaking of having fans, Carol, would you mind if I got a selfie?” Korg asked as he produced a small -- especially for a Kronan -- phone from his pocket.   
  
“Of course,” she agreed and took pose next to him. “Wait, what for?”

“Ah, just to have a memory while you guys are gone.”  
  
“What?” Carol looked between Brunn and Korg confused. “I thought you were coming with us.”   
  
“I was, but then Brunn said I could be King while she was out.”   
  
Carol huffed out a laugh and looked at Brunn. The way she avoided eye contact told her this wasn’t a joke.   
  
“Only if Thor isn’t here,” Brunn clarified. Carol nodded along.   
  
“I’ve never lead a people before,” Korg said as he looked out to the settlement. “Well, except for a revolution, but my Mum was giving the orders when that happened. And we lost. And I was captured and forced into gladiatorial combat. And then Asgard exploded.”   
  
Brunn stepped over and rubbed his arm comfortingly.   
  
“But here, with what I’ve learned from my pretty much adopted mum, I think I’d be an exceptional king. I can hear it now: _‘Korg: Figurative son of the Mighty Queen Br_ _u_ _nnhilde, Kronan Revolutionary, Friend of Miek, the rightful king of As--”_

Before Korg could get the final syllable out, a loud crack of thunder echoed through the clear sky. In its wake came the bright rainbow light of the Bifröst landed a few meters away. As the magical energy beam dissipated, the god of thunder appeared before them. The fit Asgardian began toward them with his ax on his back and a smile on his face.  
  
“Damn.”

Thor amusedly raised an eyebrow as he approached. “Oh, good to see you too, Korg.” A friendly fist bump came in lieu of a handshake.   
  
“Yeah, bro. I’m gotta go pack a bag,” Korg said as he started to walk toward town. “Oh!” he turned around momentarily. “Can Miek bring his _Play Station_ ? I promise we won’t cuss on the headset this time.”   
  
Brunn rolled her eyes and nodded. “Yeah, just keep it in your guys’ quarters.”   
  
“Yes!” He exclaimed under his breath while raising a fist in the air before walking away.   
  
Brunn turned to Thor, drawing him in for a hug. “My King.”   
  
“Hey, only after you leave. Glad to be back though,” He said, gazing over her shoulder toward New Asgard. “I like what you’ve done with the place.”

The pair separated and Thor looked over to Carol. He adjusted his stance to appear taller and smiled with narrowed eyes. “Miss Danvers,” he said in an attempted-suggestive tone and slow nod. She only glared back and raised a hand out. While she shook his hand tightly enough for him to wince, she looked back at Brunn next to him.  
  
“Is it just something in your Asgardian air making guys like this today?” She asked semi-jokingly. Brunnhilde laughed and then smirked.

“Oh, it’s not just the guys, babe.”

  
Before either noticed Carol’s cheeks fall just a shade redder, Brunn tapped Thor’s shoulder.   
  
“So, what do you got for me?”   
  
“Right.” After his aching hand was let go, he reached to the bag under his arm and retrieved a small data pad. “Coordinates of the first Asgardian beacon we intercepted on the Milano.”   
  


_____  
  


Ned held the box of vibranium in place while Peter placed the strap over the last container stack. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Flash step back onto the alien ship. His hands were laced through his hair while he stared at his feet.   
  
“Where were you?” Peter called across the wide space.   
  
He gave an alarmed look up and frowned. “Don’t wanna talk about it, Parker.”   
  
Peter rolled his eyes as he tightened and secured the strap. “Yeah, well we’re done in here, anyway.”   
  
“No thanks to you, bro,” Ned interjected.   
  
“Shut up, Ned!” Flash lashed out. Peter laughed at the innocent joke. Flash shook his head.   
  
“What about her?! _She’s_ not doing anything!” he pointed at the wall where MJ was leaning comfortably. She only pursed her lips in response.   
  
“Those were all her, actually.” Peter directed the annoyed Flash to the other stacks of vibranium lined on the wall. He rolled his eyes.

“I… supervised,” he grumbled.   
  
“So she said _no_ , then?” Ned mockingly asked while adjusting his mini-earphones. Flash started walking toward the pair.   
  
“None of your business, Leeds!” he said angrily. Peter stepped between the two before the hothead could get in his friend’s face. He put a hand out toward Flash’s chest. It was promptly swatted away.   
  
“Come on, man. Settle down.” Peter tried to cool the situation. He put his hands back up on Flash’s chest when he didn’t comply.   
  
“Get off me, Parker.”   
  
He shoved his hands out of the way again, but this time opted simply to scowl at Ned over Peter’s shoulder. Glancing up at Peter, he finally rolled his eyes and turned around.   
  
“Whatever,” he said under his breath. The peace didn’t last long.   
  
“Tell her about how you like drawing her tits?” Ned spat out with another mocking laugh.   
  
Flash spun right back around and booked toward Ned. Peter braced to grab him before he could do anything. Not expecting his angry short friend to be _so_ vengeance-fuelled, he was knocked into Ned end Ned into the wall behind them. Peter staggered, but quickly regained his footing. Now he grabbed Flash hard by the shoulders.   
  
“Stop it!” he ordered. While the insulted man struggled in his grip, Peter looked down at Ned. “Why would you do that?”   
  
Before Ned could answer, another bout of strength came from Flash. The chest punch didn’t hurt Peter, but it served enough to make him angry. He took Flash’s wrist in one hand and twisted his arm around his back and pushed forward, slamming his chest into the wall. Maybe a little too hard. He lightened the pressure when the trapped Flash groaned in pain. Still, he held him in place when he leaned into his ear.   
  
“That’s enough. Now.”   
  
“Uh, guys…” Ned cut in.   
  
_“Shut up!”_ Peter and Flash both shouted at him in unison. Peter then felt a hand on the back of his collar. He let go when he saw another hand on the pinned opponent’s shirt as well. Both began to lift from the ground and before long, both realized they were being held by a certain Asgardian Avenger. He shook his head between them.   
  
“Mister god, sir...” Flash bowed his head calmly.

“Are we done here?” He asked sternly. The boys nodded and were returned to their feet. Thor still held their shirts as he walked them of of the ship. The queen and Captain Marvel stood in the doorway, both with their arms crossed. Neither looked them in the eye while they were brought down the ramp. Ned and Carol followed them off. 

“ _Are_ we done here?” Brunn looked around the loaded ship and then over to the girl standing peacefully against the wall. MJ nodded and stepped forward once it was just the two of them left.   
  
“Are guys like this where you’re from?” MJ asked.   
  
“‘Guys?’” The Valkyrie smirked. “ _I’ve_ cut people’s hands off for less than that.”   
  
The younger woman’s eyes widened before she smiled as well. “Dude, you gotta teach me how to do that when you get back.”   
  
The boys were finally released on the gravel trail outside of the ship.   
  
“ _You_ go this way, _you_ go this way.” Each were pushed in opposite directions. They both looked at each other again, but Thor’s presence quickly pushed down either’s desire to get back to it again. Flash fiercely adjusted his jacket and stomped off. Peter shook his head and continued the other way. He hated getting into fights like that. He hated even more that it was his own best friend instigating it.   
  
“Hey, Peter Parker,” a voice called out behind him.   
  
“What?!” he asked a bit too loudly. He gasped when he realized who he just shouted at. “Oh. Captain Danvers.” 

She gave him a second to catch his breath and cool down while approaching him.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you,” he explained once he finally turned around to face her.   
  
“So,” she started to ask in a low register. “Using our powers to beat up citizens, are we?”   
  
Peter rolled his eyes. “It’s not like that. He was going after Ned. Ned kinda deserved it, but…”   
  
“Maybe, but that’s still no reason to completely crush a guy.”

“I know,” Peter said back. “But Flash has always been kind of a di-- a bully, you know? I just hate seeing my friends fight each other.”  
  
Carol smiled. “I know _you know,_ Peter. You don’t fly around space for a couple decades without running into a few bullies. But if it’s a friend, at least be sure it’s _you_ putting an end to it and not Spider-Man.”   
  
Peter nodded and smiled back, finally feeling calm again. Carol had always been able to share her ambiguously aged wisdom whenever they crossed paths since New York.   
  
“I’ll take it into consideration,” he said. “But if the bully is as big as Thanos, the gloves are coming off.”   
  
Carol giggled at the quip. She turned to face town and he followed suit. From where they were standing, they had a perfect view of the morning light illuminating everything out to the edge of the sea.   
  
“So I hear you’ve been working around here recently, huh?”   
  
“Yeah, Queens was getting a little… tiring,” He replied. “You can only live in a place for nineteen years before it starts to ware on you.”   
  
“Hm. I know what you mean,” Carol nodded along. “How’s May?”   
  
“Doing good. She and Happy are-- Well, happy.”   
  
“That’s good. Brunn said you guys just graduated?”   
  
“Well, kinda. School was a little weird for some people to get back into. The few of us that got snapped were given a bit of a fast-track to catch up. We actually all graduated in December, a few months after everything started to go back to normal.”   
  
“I guess ‘normal’ probably isn’t the word,” she said. “But I see what you’re saying. What about college plans?”   
  
“Oh… well…” he stammered. Carol looked down at him with a furrowed brow.   
  
“You _are_ going to college, right?”   
  
“Yeah!” Peter choked out. “Yeah, it’s just… eventually, you know? There’s still a lot for the Avengers to do for the world while we get back into shape. For _me_ to do.”   
  
Carol narrowed her eyes, having expected a bullshit excuse, but hearing what he had to say. She looked back over the golden-lit town. “Well… It looks like you’ve been doing good work here. The Queen really appreciates it.”   
  
Peter put on a fulfilled, partly relieved smile. “I’m glad to help her.”   
  
Both stood in peaceful silence, looking over New Asgard together.   
  
“Oi, Captain!” A voice cut through the quietness. “If you’re done scolding the boy, it’s about time to leave!”   
  
Both looked over to see Brunnhilde standing on the ramp of the Asgardian ship.   
  
“Speak of the devil,” Carol said. She smiled back over at Peter. “Well, that’s my ride.”

Peter turned to her and put out a hand. “Alright. Don’t wanna keep you waiting, Captain.”  
  
He expected the handshake, but instead was met with a light hug. Even though it was surprising, it was quite soothing. He hadn’t realized how much he needed that. She patted his back before releasing him.   
  
“Don’t go killing every bully on the street while I’m gone, alright?” Carol joked and smirked at him. He had a little laugh at that one.

“Only while you’re gone?” He asked sarcastically. She laughed, too. He patted her shoulder. “Stay safe, Captain.”   
  
“ _Carol,_ Peter,” she told him. “And I will. Stay safe yourself.”   
  
“I will,” he said.   
  
With that, they gave a final friendly nod and parted ways. His view lingered on her as she walked away for a second. Such an intriguing woman, every time he chatted with her. For someone so powerful, she looked like she couldn’t hurt a fly. He wondered why he didn’t get to spend more time with her whenever she visited Earth.   
  
His thoughts were cut short when he heard his name again. He looked over where Ned had been standing a few meters away.   
  
“Hey,” he gave an upward nod to his friend and put his hand forward. “Hey, sorry I was a dick earlier. We cool?”   
  
“It’s fine,” Ned responded as he walked up. “You were a dick. I was a dick. Flash as a dick. We’re all dicks.”   
  
Peter chuckled and they both shook on their lasting friendship.   
  
“Man, that Captain Marvel sure is something, huh? Shit, looks like you have a better chance at her than Flash does.”   
  
Peter rolled his eyes and gave a playful slap on Ned’s shoulder. “I don’t think anyone has a chance with her. She’s better than all of us,” he joked. “Well, maybe MJ. They’d probably be tight.” 

Ned nodded slowly. “Ah, so you’re imagining her and MJ…” He trailed off, while bumping two circles made from his fingers together.   
  
“Alright! Chill!” Peter smacked his friend’s scandalous gesture away. After a second, he reached down to his pocket, only to find it empty. “Oh, dude. Can I get my phone back?”   
  
“Oh, yeah…” Ned reached into his own pocket to retrieve the borrowed device. “It’s just--” He didn’t manage to pull anything out. “Uhhh…” he slapped all of the pockets on the cargo shorts he wore. “Shhhhit. I think I dropped it when Flash knocked us over.”   
  
“Seriously?!” Peter was already a few steps away before Ned could confirm what was probably true. In a half-hurry, Peter jogged back toward the ship. The ramp to the cargo hold was down, but nobody was around. Looking both ways for anyone, he stepped aboard slowly. He didn’t want to deal with Thor again if he was caught back on here.   
  
Walking past the containers of vibranium, he scanned the floor for his phone. Sure enough, it was right next to the wall where it must have slipped out of Ned’s pocket. His headphones were still attached. After bending down to pick it up, he spotted something peculiar. On the wall was a large dented panel. After a few seconds of inspection, he realized it’s where he’d shoved Flash up into. _“Shit!”_ he whispered to himself. Quickly, he put his phone and headphones into his pants pocket.   
  
He stood, wondering what to do. Just then, he felt the floor shake and a thunderous sound. “Shit!” he shouted, turning around, ready to explain to Thor why he was back here. Instead of Thor, he saw the ramp and door shutting across the cargo bay.   
  
“Nonononono!” He started sprinting toward the exit. Just as he got to it, it was sealed shut. The floor shifted again. He quickly realized the crew was taking off.   
  
“Um! Um! Um!” His palms pressed onto either side of his head while he paced around, completely unsure of what to do. In a calm and distinguished manner, he turned and ran toward the opposite cabin door and began slamming as hard and quickly as he could without breaking that, too. “Guys! Guys! Wait! Don’t leave! I’m back he--”   
  
Before he could finish his unheard shouting and pleas, he started to smell a strange, but familiar scent: burning electronics. He desperately looked around for the source. Then he spotted smoke coming from behind the dented wall panel.   
  
“Oh, no! No! No!”   
  
He ran back to that wall and finally deciding to use his strength for good this morning, he pulled the panel from the wall. Behind it he saw a mess of torn wires ripped from a rather important looking golden control panel of sorts. A diagnostic screen of Asgardian glyphs flashed what seemed to be an alert. 

“Karen! I need help!”   
  
With not a second to spare, he felt a vibration around his wrist-watch. Quickly, a shining suit of red, blue, and gold emerged and wrapped itself around him. The HUD came up  around his eyes and immediately began scanning the damaged electronics.

_“How may I help you, Peter?”_


	2. II

“What was all that about?” Brunn asked as Carol approached the ramp.

  
“Old friend,” she said.  
  
“Sure about that? He looks like he hasn’t even been alive as long as you’ve been Kree-blooded.”  
  
The women walked through the cargo bay back toward the air-tight cabin double-doors. Carol proceeded to explain.   
  
“Okay, _new_ friend. I’ve worked with him here on Earth a couple of times. He likes to go around helping whoever needs it.”  
  
“Clearly,” Brunn agreed.  
  
The airlock sealed behind them and they continued up a small stairway to the second level of the ship. They began down a corridor toward the cockpit. Doors to crew cabins were on either side. Enough room was spared for both crew and a few company they hoped to find amongst the stars. Peeking her head into their open cabin, Brunn spotted Korg and Miek already well at work hooking their console to the wall monitor.   
  
“We’re about to lift off. You guys ready?” She asked.  
  
“Yeah, ‘cept we can’t get the stupid _PlayStation_ running,” Korg said with a huff. Brunn rolled her eyes and kept on walking.   
  
“Well, then you can just play your game when you get home.”  
  
She swore she heard some some comment, but elected to ignore it. Carol was already a few steps ahead of her, sitting in the captain’s chair and warming up the console. Brunn smiled and laid a hand on her shoulder.  
  
“Your bum is cute, but it’s in _my_ seat, darling.”   
  
Carol turned only her head around. “Uh, _‘Captain’_ Marvel.”   
  
Brunn smirked, but shook her head lightly.  
  
“Okay, ‘Carol Danvers: Trained USAF Pilot’, then?”  
  
“Nuh-uh.” Brunn laughed and started to pull Carol’s arm. “You fly through space all the time with crazy superpowers. Some of us ain’t got the luxury.”   
  
Carol yielded with a smile and an eye-roll. She resituated herself into the co-pilot’s position. Brunn replaced her in the captain’s chair. Carol continued operation on her side of the console and looked over to her shipmate with a side-eye.  
  
“Thor can fly,” she murmured. Brunn shot her a look, but let it go.   
  
“You ready, then?” she asked simply. Carol nodded and pulled the chair straps over her shoulders. The captain did the same and both looked forward out the cockpit.   
  
“Staring up anti-grav,” Brunn said. She slowly pulled a lever and they immediately felt the ship start to leave the Terran soil. A jolt shot through the vehicle as the gravity plating kicked in to compensate. The Valkyrie placed her hands on the controls and started to move them into position. Nothing happened. Carol spotted a confused look on her face, wondering what was off. She looked over the console again.   
  
“Oops!” she said before hitting another button.   
  
_“‘Oops’?_ What’s that mean, hm?” Brunn raised her voice in a pseudo-furious manner.   
  
“Cargo door. Took care of it.”   
  
Brunn shook her head and went back to focusing forward. She then started to try again at the main control sticks. A slight push forward on the left and a tug at the right and the ship began to turn upward and accelerate.   
  
“Oh, sure. But _you_ should be captain.” she quietly remarked. Carol wondered if she caught that side-eye, too. Instead of dwelling on her own mistake, she just stayed silent and focused on her station, waiting for commands. The Asgardian engine tech had no issue carrying them high through Earth’s sky in just a few moments.   
  
“Atmospheric shield.” Brunn calmly ordered. With the flip of a switch, Carol activated an invisible energy barrier around the vehicle. Low-level engine power pushed them through quicker as the air became less dense. Soon they were through the planet’s atmosphere and clear into space.   
  
“Shield off, deflector on.”   
Carol nodded and complied. A second, stronger energy field emerged to block microscopic space debris that would otherwise tear holes through the vessel at high speeds and end their trip fast. Brunn activated a holographic display on the console between the two of them. It showed their position leaving the planet behind them at a relatively slow pace. Gliding her hands through the display field, Carol zoomed the view out to the first jump point, several hundred kilometers away. A few swipes and mimed-button-presses later, and a course was set.   
  
“Coordinates updated,” She said, looking over to Brunn. The captain studied the map for a few seconds and nodded.  
  
“Confirmed.” Modifying the ship’s trajectory just a minuscule amount -- compared to the infinite direction of space -- she aligned them with the target. “Priming pulse engines.”   
  
“Alright, we’re clear ahead,” Carol declared.   
  
“Hold on to your seats, everyone!” Brunn shouted back to the rest of the crew in their room.   
  
She then took a deep breath and looked out to the quiet, normal black space one more time. She gripped the flight sticks firmly and with a strong push forward as far as they would go, the engines kicked into full power. Both women were pushed back into their seats at the initial thrust, but the artificial gravity soon helped them back to normal. They both looked forward as the dark sky had turned near tunnel-like at their speed. They barreled toward the jump-point that would take them to a warped dimension of space, effectively putting them many times faster than the speed of light. Carol looked to the holo display again and noted their current speed and distance.   
  
“Looks like about three minutes and twenty seconds,” she confirmed for her captain. Brunn nodded and finally smiled again. Reaching past the display, she brought her open palm up. Carol smiled back and returned the high-five.   
  
“ _Marvelous_ take-off, _captain_!” Carol congratulated. Brunn leaned in and patted her shoulder.   
  
“Not so easy without a co-pilot.”  
  
“This beats flying with superpowers any day of the week,” Carol started. “Believe me, that kind of exertion gets old real quick. Plus space is boring without friends.” She leaned back in her chair and stretched her legs forward relaxedly. “I think this is gonna be a _smooth_ mission.”  
  
Her optimism was interrupted by a beeping tone at her console.   
  
“You were saying?” Brunn asked sarcastically. They both shot back into proper posture and examined the alarm.   
  
“Brunn?” She pointed out a flashing fuel indicator on her console. The captain studied it from her seat for a second before looking up to the holo-map again. Carol did her best to try and figure out what was going on, hoping it wasn’t an emergency.   
  
“We’re moving faster than we ought to be,” Brunn commented. “Something’s pushing more power to the engines. Fuel’s going down twenty percent quicker than it should be. We’re only moving eleven percent more. These old engines weren’t built for that kind of power input!” Frantically, she started tapping away at buttons attempting to figure out what was causing the overcharge.   
  
“Shouldn’t we throttle down a little?” Carol started reaching for the stick. Brunn waved her hand away from it.   
  
“It’s not that bad, yet. We’ll make it to the jump point. If we cut now, it will be even more a waste to get them hot again.”  
  
“And when we get through the jump?!”  
  
“Well… then we’ll be trading off a bit more of our cargo than I expected,” the captain explained. “I’ll keep trying to figure this out, but we’ll be… alive.”   
  
“Uh. Excuse me!” Korg’s voice called out from down the corridor.   
  
“What is it, Korg?!” Brunn asked while trying to focus.   
  
“I--I might need help with this,” he called back. “There’s a spider back here.”  
  
Brunn rolled her eyes and shook her head.   
  
“Just leave it be! We’re getting close to the jump. Sit down!”  
  
“Nah, it’s a big, red, dangerous looking spider!”  
  
Brunnhilde glared over to her co-pilot. She gestured back toward where the Kronan was yelling from. “Would you mind, Carol?”   
  
Carol nodded and stood to go address the commotion.   
  
\-----  
  
“We’re about to lift off. You guys ready?” Brunn asked as she peeked into the room.   
  
“Yeah, ‘cept we can’t get the stupid _PlayStation_ running,” Korg said with a huff. She rolled her eyes and kept on walking.   
  
“Well, then you can just play your game when you get home.”  
  
“It’s multiple games. Single console.” Korg waited until Brunn was out of earshot to grumble to Miek. He looked down at his purple friend who was fiddling around with several cables. Korg wasn’t about to let his human-money allowance be wasted.   
  
He flipped the monitor through several settings. Merging Asgardian and Human tech wasn’t easy. Even a ship as old as this was beyond the technical capabilities Earth currently had.   
  
Miek let out several clicks from his mandibles and looked up at the Kronan.  
  
“Alright,” he responded and very carefully pressed a button on the black controller. The screen still displayed nothing but an idle waiting message. The console didn’t activate. “Yeah, that didn’t work.”   
  
Just that second, a jolt went through the ship and rocked the room. It took them a second to realize that it wasn’t a result of their tinkering. Both felt the ship begin to move off the ground.  Miek responded with the Sakaaran equivalent of a chuckle. As they flew through the planet’s atmosphere, they continued to attempt to figure out how they could run their gaming system.   
  
“Hold on to your seats, everyone!”   
  
Instead of listening to Brunn’s warning as they blasted into higher power, the pair went on work.   
  
Miek had enough of this silly business at this point. Using the universal tried and true method of fixing things, he started slamming on the console with several tiny hands.   
  
“Hey, hey! Chill! I’ve got an idea.” Korg pulled his friend away from the device and off the floor. “Remember when we got that plug jammed in the socket and you used your blade to get it out?”   
  
Miek’s eyes went wide. He remembered. He didn’t care for the results.   
  
“Nah, bro,” Korg said while retrieving one of Miek’s knives from his suit in the corner of the room. “I think it’s just running lower power here. Probably. So it won’t be as bad.”   
  
Wielding the knife in one hand and Miek in the other, Korg slowly leaned forward. Closer and closer he approached the hastily spliced wires of conflicting technologies. Miek looked away as he inched the bare metal to the bare exposed wiring. Finally, Korg made contact.   
  
“Huh,” he said “Kinda tickles.”   
  
Miek let out a sigh of relief that both of them weren’t thrown against the wall like last time they played with cross-galactic technology.   
  
“Yeah, just like I thought. Too little power,” Korg began to explain. “Think we can probably just go check the relays down in the cargo hold”  
  
\-----  
  
“Wow, Peter!” Karen’s disembodied voice spoke. “Did you build this? It looks like trash.”  
  
“What?! No!” Peter poked around at the smoking console. “But I need you to tell me how to fix it.”   
  
“Running scan,” She said flatly.   
  
The technology was way beyond anything Peter had seen, even in the flying doughnut that brought him to Titan. The HUD highlighted some generally familiar things. Luckily, it ran on some form of electricity for the most part. Peter was relieved this wasn’t a magic powered device like Mjolnir. Among the mess were a jumble of split wires. Those he could fix. He hoped.   
  
“Here, let’s start with these,” he said and reached forward.   
  
“Stop!” Karen’s warning made him stop just centimeters from the mix of wires. “If you connect the wrong ones, you might blow up the entire ship.”  
  
“Seriously?!” He asked. His hand hovered over the board, itching to get to work. Even if he didn’t know how to do so.   
  
“I don’t know. I’ve never worked on an Asgardian vessel,” Karen said as she ran a specific scan over the wires he’d reached for. “But It happens in the movies you watch.”  
  
“This isn’t a--” Before he could tell her this was no time to joke, he felt the ship pick up speed quickly. He was nearly taken off his feet by the sudden change in velocity. Before he knew it, the suit AI had him covered. The four golden appendages emerged from the back of the suit and embedded themselves in the floor, keeping him in place.   
  
“Karen! What’s happening?”   
  
“W-we’re leaving Ear-earth.” The AI’s voice began to flutter. “I’m lo-losing uplink to St-Stark’s satt--”  
  
“Karen?” She didn’t respond.   
  
“Oh, no…” Peter said in shock when her voice cut out for good. If they were already out of range of the satellites, they were moving quicker than Peter cared for. Without an uplink, processing power for the suit’s computer would be drastically lowered. Still, when he glanced back to the power console, he decided it would be better than nothing. “Voice command! Activate local suit AI backup program.”   
  
A small bar popped up at the top of the HUD, indicating a two-minute load time. Peter groaned.   
  
“Okay, okay,” he said as he tried to put his mind to work. “I can do this. I can do this.”  
  
With a deep breath, a his senses kicked up. It was a weird feeling at first. He hadn’t used this power much since the Iron Spider suit pretty much sensed for him with Karen’s upgrades. The super senses were now telling him, or at least suggesting, what to do first. With his senses kicked up, Peter noticed subtle differences in the sizes of the wires. Connecting them properly should be easy. Grabbing the insulated parts, he began.   
  
“This here, that there, this one… here,” he murmured to himself. In a few minutes, the smoke had cleared and the wires were all lined up back to what he imagined were their original orientation. Still, several tears left parts of the… what he assumed wasn’t necessarily copper, but orange-coloured-conductive-alien-metal were exposed. He brought a hand up and manually adjusted one of his web shooters. In a narrow line, the fluid shot out and insulated the bare metals from one another.   
  
With the wiring cleared, he board looked a little more organized. That didn’t help as much as he’d hoped it would. In the center was a golden box, a few centimeters wide on any side. A large crack down one face gave way to some sort of bright light inside. Peter realized that’s where a trace amount of smoke was still seeping out. With no knowledge of what it was, how it operated, and no supercomputer to analyze, he went old-school on figuring it out. Tapping the box as light as he could, the crack expanded and part of the face caved into itself. The cube seemed impossibly thin to him and he hoped he didn’t just break the ship. Or at least not have broken it any further.   
  
Investigating further, though with a less hands-on approach, he saw the source of the light. A near-blindingly white crystal sat inside. Peter just about had it at this point dealing with powerful, shiny stones from space. With his mask on, enough light was filtered that he could get a lot closer a look. Behind the crystal where the containment cube connected to the board, he spotted even more advanced circuitry. The advancements of Asgardian tech over Earth’s, while intimidating and clearly not his forte, was so intriguing to him. For just a second, he forgot where he was and felt like he was back in a lab at Avengers Headquarters, working away at machines Stark never got to finish.   
  
He was brought out of his momentary fantasy by another bout of heightened senses. He felt now that he wasn’t alone. Darting his head around, he spotted a figure behind the cabin door through a small window. Never had he been so relieved to see a giant rock alien. Deciding he’d done more than enough at the broken control panel, he made his way over to the door. When he got there, he could see Korg yelling out something behind his back. The thick metal and transparent window muffled the sound of his voice.   
  
Though he couldn’t hear, he could see something about spiders on Korg’s lips. His expression seemed concerned or at least confused.  
  
_Him,_ of course! Peter shook his head and retracted the golden arms.   
  
“Hey! Korg! Open up!” Peter shouted. He hoped the amplifier from his mask would be loud enough. Peter was sure he was in for it. Queen Brunhilde probably wouldn’t be happy to see him here trespassing. And breaking her ship. At this point, weighing the options of a stern scolding and just jumping out the cargo airlock and getting it over with were on his mind. Opting for the choice that didn’t involve him freezing in the cold vacuum of space, he pounded on the door even harder to try and get Korg’s attention again.   
  
“Let me in. _Let me iiiiiin!”_ he tried loudly. Korg just looked at him through the window. It was just then that Peter spotted a red lever on the other side of the door. The Kronan peered down at it, as well. Peter couldn’t read the Asgardian label above it, but the picture next to it seemed pretty universal. To whoever was listening in the universe that could read his mind, he was sure to tell them that he wasn’t _actually_ considering being shot out into space.   
  
Korg looked back up through the window and gave Peter -- the giant spider-- a scowl. His hand reached toward the lever. He shook his head and knocked at the door desperately.   
  
Then an incredibly relieving sight came to his eyes. Behind Korg, he spotted another familiar face. He waved to her while she came down the stairs. Her eyes went wide when she saw him standing there.   
  
_‘Thank god! Captain Marvel will help!’_ _  
__  
_ This was the last thought Peter had before everything in front of him shot away in an instant.   
  
The very last thing he perceived in that moment was the rocky hand on the red lever and the look of absolute terror on the Captain’s face. From there, the ship zoomed away from him and gave way to near complete darkness. The shock of the blast was so disorienting, he hadn’t realized what had happened at first. The spiraling stars and quickly freezing suit soon gave it away.   
  
He didn’t have time to panic. He lost consciousness before he could.   
  
\---  
  
_“Hey, Peter Parker. Got something for me?”_  
  
‘Are you an angel?’ Peter thought. This glowing woman descended down from the sky just in front of him. When the world -- the universe -- was in danger again, she arrived.

**Author's Note:**

> All aboard the 'Petrol' ship! Whoomp Whoomp!


End file.
